Genetics is an extremely complex field—one well worth in-depth study.
For example, during Naruto's upbringing, because Kushina died early, he shouldn't have been influenced by his mother at all. And yet, in reality, their personalities shared an astonishing number of similarities—so many that they were practically identical.
The only unanswered question was whether the Red-Hot Habanero was also afraid of ghosts like Naruto was.
That was a topic worth investigating.
In truth, if Hagoromo wanted to guarantee Kushina's safety, the simplest and most absolute solution would have been to erase the very possibility of Naruto's birth.
But that was something he could never do.
He had neither the right nor the means to prevent Kushina and Minato from being together.
In fact, on a personal level, Hagoromo supported her marriage to Minato wholeheartedly—the reasons didn't even need to be stated.
After meeting with Kushina, Hagoromo didn't remain in Konoha for long. He soon returned to the front lines.
Traveling with him were his teammates Yūhi Kurenai and Yamashiro Aoba.
For reasons unknown, even during this rare period of full-team rest, Sarutobi Asuma chose not to return to Konoha and instead remained at the front.
Was it because he loved war?
Unlikely.
Family issues?
Hagoromo had no idea.
The decision left him utterly baffled.
In short, no matter how miserable things were—even without his beloved nearby—Asuma stayed on the front lines.
When the three of them returned to camp, they immediately spotted Asuma standing there like a wife-stone, staring into the distance.
The moment he saw his teammates return, Asuma's eyes lit up. After greeting Kurenai and Aoba, he immediately turned to Hagoromo.
"Captain, I heard you got involved in another special major operation?"
Despite staying at the front, Asuma was surprisingly well-informed. His information network was extensive—he knew things he should know and things he probably shouldn't.
After all, being the Hokage's son came with certain conveniences.
"This was a classified mission," Hagoromo asked curiously. "How did you find out?"
Asuma only smiled and said nothing.
"I did take part in an operation," Hagoromo continued. "Judging by the number of ninja deployed and the balance of forces, it should have been an A-rank mission. But due to its importance, it was ultimately classified as S-rank."
"Unfortunately, it was all for nothing. The mission failed."
Asuma glanced at Kurenai and Aoba, then pulled Hagoromo aside and lowered his voice.
"So… did the Hyūga Clan really lose a Byakugan?"
You know way too much.
But since Asuma had already gone that far, Hagoromo didn't bother dodging the issue. He nodded directly.
At this point, secrecy was meaningless.
"..."
Asuma slapped his own face lightly, as if wanting to say something—but in the end, he didn't comment.
After two minutes of silence, he seemed to come to terms with it—
And then promptly ran off to fuss over Kurenai.
Seeing that he was no longer needed, Hagoromo said,
"You guys talk. I've got something else to take care of."
When he first arrived at camp, he had already received notice to clean up and report to Jiraiya immediately.
Hagoromo had assumed it would be another special squad mission.
He hadn't expected it to be a task aimed specifically at him.
Over the course of more than a year, every young ninja had grown—whether in appearance, physical maturity, or strength.
Hagoromo was no exception.
His mission record at present:
D-rank: 18
C-rank: 8
B-rank: 62
A-rank: 4
S-rank: 4
He had completed a considerable number of high-level missions.
When Hagoromo arrived at Jiraiya's tent, he found that Jiraiya was alone.
After exchanging greetings, Jiraiya wasted no time and went straight to the point.
Pointing at the war map spread across the table, he said:
"One year ago, we reached peace agreements with Sunagakure and Amegakure. Since then, Sunagakure has ceased all hostile action against Konoha."
"As for Amegakure… although I strongly oppose certain dealings between Danzō and Hanzō, unfortunately, Konoha's decisions don't hinge on my personal will."
A flicker of emotion crossed Jiraiya's face before disappearing.
"However, Hanzō's recent behavior has become… ambiguous. His attitude toward the so-called 'rebel forces' has changed. What he's planning is still unclear."
"You're not going to send me to infiltrate Amegakure to investigate Hanzō, are you?"
Hagoromo asked sideways, uneasily.
That would be a very dangerous mission—and if it really came to that, Hagoromo would no longer feel Jiraiya's warmth as a teacher.
Fortunately—
Jiraiya shook his head.
Unfortunately—
Jiraiya shook his head.
"Not that. I brought it up because, according to the treaty, we can maintain peace with Amegakure for now."
"What I'm about to tell you next is top-secret. You are forbidden from disclosing it to anyone."
As he spoke, Jiraiya's expression turned solemn.
"I understand," Hagoromo replied. He knew when to be serious.
"Before that, I need to ask," Jiraiya said.
"Can you still use that technique?"
"I can fire it one more time."
Hagoromo knew exactly what he meant.
The Lightning Release: he had used against Yagura—and the fabricated cooldown he'd mentioned—were the reason for the question.
The moment the words left his mouth, Hagoromo realized something was wrong.
Sure enough, Jiraiya visibly relaxed.
"That's good."
Then he began explaining the so-called classified intelligence.
"After a year of continuous clashes, the border between Iwagakure and Sunagakure has reached a temporary equilibrium. Suna lacks the strength for a large-scale counterattack, and Iwa seems to have lost interest in pushing deeper into the Land of Wind."
"But Iwagakure itself is far from calm."
"According to our intelligence, they're preparing to divert forces and launch a large-scale assault on Kumogakure."
"This information is confirmed. Our plan is to move once Iwa begins its offensive. Konoha will also deploy forces, effectively creating a pincer against Kumo."
"The goal is to bleed Kumogakure's strength, force them into a dilemma, and push them out of the war."
"Given that Kumo already has a mature combat doctrine against Konoha, and considering Iwa's projected deployment scale, we believe Kumo will respond with elite units…"
"…possibly even the Raikage himself."
"So your role is here. Specifically—"
Jiraiya extended a finger and began laying out Hagoromo's detailed mission.
After hearing the full explanation, Hagoromo could only describe his feelings with a single phrase:
"Holy shit."
It was a compound, dual-layer mission.
At that point, he would've preferred infiltrating Amegakure to investigate that old man Hanzō.
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